6 things to inspect before buying a new house guide, Home buy tips, Property style advice

6 Things To Inspect Before Buying A New House Advice

8 February 2022

Inspecting a house before buying it is one of the most important decisions you will make. The last thing you want to do is buy a new home with a huge problem lurking in the attic or basement. To help you avoid this, here are six things that need to be inspected before purchasing a new home.

1. Is It Move-In Ready?

This is an easy one, but it’s also very important. Is everything in the house working? If there are a few loose screws or a missing knob on a cabinet door, that isn’t going to bother you much. However, if the dishwasher doesn’t work or the oven needs replacing then this may be a deal-breaker for you and your family. If you can’t assess this yourself, estate and letting agents will assess for you and will be able to provide a move-in condition report on request. This is necessary because some properties will not be available to view and you will need to place an offer on the house before even seeing it.

2. Foundation

Before you buy a home, the first thing you need to do is inspect its foundation. That’s because buying a house with an unstable or cracked foundation can be very expensive if and when major repairs become necessary. Before heading out to view prospective homes, pull out your smartphone and do some research on the property by checking it against online maps for sinkholes and other geologic hazards.

While many structural issues could present themselves in a new home, one of the most common ones that come up is shifting, which means that either a crack will begin to appear in the walls or floors will buckle. Cracks usually occur near doors and windows where they open and close, but it’s also important to check around heating vents and electrical outlets in the walls. Check out Estate Agents Hempstead

3. Roofing Materials

Asphalt shingles are one of the most commonly used materials when it comes to roofing houses in North America, but many people believe that they can be easily damaged by snow and rainstorms, leading to leaks over time. Standing water on a roof is never good, so make sure you know which type of roofing material is currently on the house before buying it. It’s also important to check around all vents and chimneys for rust or other debris build-ups since this could lead to leaks in certain weather conditions if neglected over time.

4. Plumbing

Taking a look at the plumbing of a new house is one of the most important things to do, especially if you plan on making any renovations or major changes to your home’s interior design. Not only can pipes bursting lead to major flooding issues for your entire house, but they are also quite expensive to fix under normal circumstances.

First, you should inspect all bathrooms and kitchens for small leaks around faucets and toilets that can quickly become worse if not tended to right away. It’s also important to check the basement where sinks and toilets are located, as these might be connected directly into sewage lines that run outside instead of through your home’s septic system.

5. Windows

A house’s exterior materials are only as good as its windows. In other words, if your home is made from cheap or flimsy materials on the outside, you might not want to purchase it unless you know for sure that it has been insulated well enough to prevent cold drafts from entering through your windows in wintertime.

Most new homes will have vinyl-composite window frames that can put up a decent fight against wind and rainstorms, but they should last at least 15 years before needing replacement according to manufacturers’ warranty policies. To determine how well a house has been insulated without going inside first, look around all window wells for any debris, algae buildup, or cracks in the foundation wall.

6. Chimneys and Fireplaces

Fireplaces can be a lot of fun if you have a big family that enjoys s’mores now and then, but they also need to be inspected before buying a new home. That’s because many people end up having problems with their chimney flue becoming full of dangerous creosote build-ups over time, which could lead to fires or carbon monoxide poisonings.

If your real estate agent doesn’t allow you to schedule an inspection by a professional chimney sweep service, simply bring some binoculars with you when viewing prospective homes so you can look at the top edge of any brickwork from outside the house without drawing attention from neighbors. Check out Reclaimed Fireplaces.

Home inspections are really one of the best things you can do to protect yourself when purchasing a new house. If you’re in the market for a new home, schedule an inspection of the sewer system, foundation, heating vents, and pipes before signing on the dotted line for any new home. Doing so could help you avoid wasting thousands of dollars on repairs down the line.

6 Important Things To Inspect Before Buying A New House – Bonus Tip

When you’re inspecting a new house, it’s important to take a close look at the doors. Replacing old, worn-out doors with fresh, new white ones is a easy way to increase the property value. Not only will it make the house look nicer, but it will also be more energy efficient.

New doors will help to keep the heat in during the winter and the cool air in during the summer, lowering your energy bills. And if you’re looking to sell the house in the future, potential buyers will appreciate the updated doors. So when you’re touring houses, be sure to take a close look at the condition of the doors. It could be the difference between a house that looks dated and one that looks like it’s brand new.

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